Abdulwahid A. Bidin (7 April 1925 – 2 February 1999) was a Filipino lawyer who served as Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on Ju ...

. Appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

in 1987, he was the first

Filipino Muslim Islam was the first-recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. Islam reached the Philippines in the 14th century with the arrival of Muslim traders from the Persian Gulf, southern India, and their followers from several sultanates in th ...

named to the country's Supreme Court.

Early life

Born in Tawi-Tawi, Bidin finished his

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

education in

Sulu Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu (Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Wilāya sin Lupa' Sūg''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sulu), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago and part of the Bangsamoro, Bangsamor ...

. He fought with the resistance movement against the Japanese Occupation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and after pursued attended the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

as a government scholar, and eventually earned his law degree from the university's

College of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

. Bidin returned to Sulu and spent the next few years in private practise. From 1956 to 1959, he was an elected member of the

Provincial Board Sangguniang Panlalawigan (abbreviated as SP; ), commonly known as the Provincial Board, are the legislatures in Provinces of the Philippines, Philippine provinces. They are the legislative branches of the provinces, and their powers and responsibi ...

Judicial career

Bidin first entered the judiciary in 1968, when he was appointed trial judge in

Zamboanga City Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (Chavacano and es, Ciudad de Zamboanga, Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Dāira sin Sambuangan'', fil, Lungsod ng Zamboanga, ceb, Dakbayan sa Zamboanga), is a city in the Zamboanga Peninsula region ...

. He was cited by the

Integrated Bar of the Philippines The Integrated Bar of the Philippines ( fil, Pinagsamang mga Abogasya ng Pilipinas abbreviated as IBP) is the national organization of lawyers in the Philippines. It is the mandatory bar association for Filipino lawyers. History The IBP was establ ...

as the Most Outstanding Trial Court Judge for 1979. In 1983, Bidin was appointed to the

Intermediate Appellate Court An intermediate appellate court is an appellate court that is not the court of last resort A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last ...

(now known as the Court of Appeals). He was an Associate Justice there until he was elevated to the Supreme Court on 12 January 1987. Bidin served in the Supreme Court for eight years until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in April 1995. Bidin later died four years after his retirement from the Court on 2 February 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bidin, Abdulwahid 1925 births 1999 deaths Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Filipino Muslims Paramilitary Filipinos People from Tawi-Tawi University of the Philippines alumni 20th-century Filipino lawyers